Westbound on Colorado Highway 160, evening sunlight flooded through the windshield of my old silver Subaru wagon. West was the direction that pulled me, and Durango, Colorado was the town that would change my life forever. Weary from the road, I pulled into a gas station 20 miles east of Durango for the local paper and an "icy-cold Coca-Cola", as my mom would call it. As I placed my car into "park" I was startled by the old man outside my window with his hand on my door handle. His weathered face and gray hair were highlighted by the evening light. The look I gave him must have been a good one, because he put up his hands and backed away from my door. I calmed down and opened my door.
He smiled; "Let me get that for you honey".
Immediately I was on the defensive:
Who was this man? What did he want with me? How do I get him the hell away from me?
He noticed my heap of luggage in the back seat and asked me if I was traveling, where I was going and where I was from.
I gathered my thoughts and composure and upon looking at this man, a sense of calm came over me. I told him my story about how I felt like I needed to be in Durango, how I wanted to work here and wanted to volunteer some time to my field of studies in Fisheries Management. He listened to my every word and his eyes pierced through me as if he and I were the only ones in the packed parking lot in that small town. The conversation ended with me heading into the store for my items. Returning to my car I heard the same man's voice
"Hey is this yours?" He had a five dollar bill in his hand and walked toward me. Checking my pocket, sure enough it was mine. "What ever you're doing, just keep doing it, you're on the right track, you got good Karma, Kid."
With those words, peace came over me and I thanked the man and got into my car. Sweet Home Alabama was on the radio. He walked over to his family, smiling and dancing to the music. He lifted a small child in the air and I disappeared into the sunset.
That man was my first sign, my first wise man. He was a stranger in a strange town, yet he had an influence on my life that forever changed everything I knew.
After I settled into my Kabin at the local KOA, I decided to walk the town and see historic Durango. I was taking in the culture, the architecture and the live music that danced down the street. This town had life and an energy that I have yet to find anywhere else. For the first time, I wasn't afraid to walk down the street alone, I wasn't afraid to smile, I couldn't help it. I had picked up a book at the local book store and some ice cream from the shop on main street.
I found myself at an intersection in a crowd of strangers, waiting for the signal to walk. I noticed a man behind me that kept staring. He was older, bald, carried a newspaper, wore khaki shorts and an orange shirt. He started to conversation with a friendly hello and a smile that beamed. Before I knew it, we had walked most of main street and talked about everything from life, to the architecture of the town, to our own reasons for being here. At some point he mentioned that he traveled with his white cockatoo that he had since he was in his twenties. We came to the street where I had parked my car and I told him I had to go. He smiled, stared right at me and said,
"Well the best of luck to you young lady. You won't need it though."
"Why is that?" I asked him.
"You got good Karma, Kid."
He smiled, turned around and I never saw him again.
Those five words rang through my ears and body and I thought... What are the odds?
There were nothing but good signs when I visited Durango, Colorado for the first time. Less than a year later, I moved there with fifty bucks in my pocket and a maxed out credit card. I was going to work in Fisheries Management in Durango one way or another, but for now, Department Manager at Wal-Mart would have to pay the bills. So to the two men who changed my life; you were my signs, you were my messengers, Thank You.
Love, Sarah
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